A well-known device is the “Advanced Taser M-26”, described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,636,412 and chosen by the applicant as a prototype. This device hits the target, usually implied to be a biological subject, with electric shock by closing the circuit of a high-voltage generator through the subject's body, using electric wires launched by a pneumatic power source. Electric shock occurs upon attaching to the subject two launched projectiles, each of which is connected by an electric wire to a corresponding cartridge contact, to which electric potential is fed from a high-voltage generator situated within the device. The cartridge is secured within the device by using a mechanical connector, and the power source that launches the projectiles is actuated when electric potential from the high-voltage generator is fed to the cartridge contacts.
This device has the following drawbacks:
1. The device has a single cartridge, which is rigidly fastened to the device using a mechanical connector, which significantly limits the possibility of firing a second shot. In order to fire a second shot, the shooter must disconnect the spent cartridge and attach a new one. Moreover, in order to change the cartridge, the shooter is forced to engage his other hand, which could be injured or occupied with a control weapon (usually a firearm).
2. Another drawback is the fact that a device with an attached cartridge cannot be used in a contact manner without triggering the cartridge launching source. In order to use the device in a contact manner without firing it, one must first detach the cartridge, which is time-consuming, and again engage one's other hand.